Railway

Tunnel

2010

The scope of this project (Contract No. 820) includes the construction of two parallel single track tunnels of 8.15 metres in diameter, each 3.5 kilometres long with 14 connecting cross passages, a ventilation building, underpinning a flyover and the removal of various foundations and underground obstructions along the tunnel alignment.

Despite the project’s many challenges, in particular the unforeseeable underground obstructions, our project team managed to deliver the project on time and achieve a number of “firsts” in terms of both technical skill and production efficiency. For instance, it was the first ever project in Hong Kong to have such a sizeable Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) (9.33 metres in diameter) breakthrough under water in compressed air. During TBM excavation, a record of 21 unexpected heavy-duty steel piles was removed in front of the cutter head in a compressed air environment under unstable ground conditions, and yet the project experienced zero cases of hyperbaric sickness throughout TBM excavation. In terms of production, the first breakthrough of the cross passage between the up track and down track TBM tunnels was conducted one month ahead of schedule, making it the first completed tunnel section on the entire XRL Hong Kong Section. Record-breaking success was also achieved with the TBM: the best production day completed 22 rings or 39.6 metres of excavation and lining, and the best production month completed 309 rings or 556.2 metres of excavation and lining.

The project team achieved a consecutive 1,682,640 man-hours of no reportable accidents – the best record among all MTR projects, as well as a wide array of Quality, Safety and Environment awards for our outstanding performance, such as a Gold Quality Award, Gold Safety Award, Lowest Reportable Accident Frequency Rate Award, and Gold Stakeholder Engagement Award.

Client

MTR Corporation

Project

Construction of two parallel single track tunnels of 8.15m in diameter, each 3.5km long with connecting cross passages (14 nos.), a ventilation building, underpinning a flyover and the removal of various foundations and underground obstructions